About Database Management

All databases need to be backed up and cleaned periodically. SunLink Server Manager and various Solaris commands are the tools you use to maintain the databases; additionally, SunLink Server Manager enables you to schedule a routine for performing most database maintenance tasks automatically.

The following sections describe how to view, back up, restore, clean up, and compact the SunLink Server WINS database.

Compacting the WINS Database

There is no built-in limit to the number of records that a WINS server can replicate or store. The size of the database is dependent on the number of WINS clients on the network. The WINS database grows over time as a result of clients starting and stopping on the network.

The size of the WINS database is not directly proportional to the number of active client entries. Over time, as some WINS client entries become obsolete and are deleted, there remains some unused space.

To recover space and improve performance, you use the Solaris command line on the SunLink Server computer to compact the database. See "How to Compact the WINS Database".

Backing Up and Restoring the WINS Database

You use the Solaris command line or the Windows NT tool, WINS Manager, to back up and restore the WINS database. The following WINS server database files are stored in the /var/opt/lanman/wins directory. This directory was created when you installed the SunLink Server program.

• schema.db - This file is used by WINS to hold information about the structure of its database.

• wins.db - This is the WINS database file.

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  Caution -

  Do not remove or tamper with the schema.db or wins.db files in any manner.

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You can also use the Windows NT tool, WINS Manager, to examine the current database backup path and to establish a new one.

Cleaning Up the Databases

Cleaning up (also known as "scavenging") the WINS database is an administrative task related to backing up the database. Like any database, the WINS server database of address mappings needs to be cleaned periodically.

You should periodically clear the local WINS database of released entries and old entries that were registered at another WINS server and replicated to the local WINS server, but for some reason did not get removed from the local WINS database.